Chapter Ten

Almost two weeks passed, and Hermione was finally released from the hospital wing. Draco still hadn't woken up, and Hermione still hadn't seen Blaise. She was growing worried.

---

Hermione entered the Head Common room with her breath held. Everything had been put back into place in her absence. The ceiling and walls were repaired, the couch put back together, the books placed back on the shelves, and the window was no longer shattered. The only difference was the silence. It was almost unbearable. Hermione walked up the stairs slowly. Instead of turning left to her room, she turned right and walked down the dimly lit hallway to his room. She gripped the doorknob, her eyes burning with tears. She pushed the door open and took one step into the room.

It was empty.

Hermione felt the tears falling down her face as she scanned the perfectly neat Head Boy's bedroom. He wasn't there. She had hoped…but it was all in vain. He was gone. Dumbledore hadn't told her he was gone. But now every emotion possible was flooding Hermione and she couldn't take it. She fell to the floor, clutching her stomach, tears streaming slowly down her face. She didn't know why his absence was hurting her so much. She didn't know why a part of her felt empty with the knowledge that he was no longer there; no longer there to watch her, to talk to her, to hold her, to be there… Blaise was gone.

Hermione lifted a weak hand to her face and wiped away a tear…just as Blaise had done the last time she saw him. And it was then that Hermione realized that he would probably never do that again. She would never see him again.

She didn't know why it mattered. The mild friendship they had at the beginning of the year had turned into something more for her. All the nights staying up reading with him…the things he knew about her. The way he managed to get under her skin, but at the same time, comfort her when she needed it. She felt something for him that she had never felt for anyone else. And it wasn't fair, that now he was gone.

She stood up. Being in his room was agonizing. She shut the door behind her and stumbled to her room, falling on the bed, her body weak with sadness.

"Hermione?" someone called from the common room. Hermione sat up and dried her eyes.

"Yes?" she called back inaudibly. "Yes?"

"Hermione, its Harry…"

"And Ron!"

"And Ginny!"

"Can we come up?"

"Yeah…yeah sure!"

She heard them coming up the stairs and put on a serene face.

Ginny came through the door first.

"How are you?" she asked gently, sitting on the bed next to her.

"I'm fine," Hermione said, giving a quick smile.

"Are you sure? Your eyes are red…"

"I'm fine, Ginny…" she said quickly.

"Alright. Well, then. Er, why don't you come downstairs and lets play a game of Chess. Grab a book, come on," Ginny said, tugging on her hand. Hermione sighed and stood up. She accompanied her friends down to the common room. Her breath hitched for a moment, and it was then she realized her friends were watching her tentatively.

"Guys!" she said, smiling widely. "I'm fine, honestly. Come on, now. Look, let's let Harry and Ron play…or actually let's let Harry and Ron argue. This'll be fun." She threw herself down onto the couch and Ginny sat down next to her. Harry and Ron began their game. It was a good distraction.

"Okay…yes, tomorrow. I know, Harry. Tomorrow, at seven. I'll be there, now get out, I want to sleep!" Hermione pushed her friends out of the portrait hole with a laugh. They had been in her room for over four hours, and it was almost twelve. Hermione yawned. She made her way over to the couch, and began to pick up the mess they had made. She pulled out her wand and magicked the empty candy wrappers into the trash. She sat on the couch, her chin in her hand. Hermione looked around the room. Her eyes were tired. She closed them for a moment…

Hermione woke with a start, sunlight pouring into the common room. She could hear birds chirping outside the windows. She glanced at her watch: half past ten. It was Saturday. Hermione yawned and made her way up the stairs, determinedly not looking right. She went to the Heads Bathroom and brushed her teeth, and decided to take a quick shower.

As the hot water ran over her head, Hermione wondered what had happened to her. She wondered why Blaise suddenly meant so much to her, and why his absence was hurting the way it was. She felt a tear slide down her face, mixing with the water. She stepped out of the shower fifteen minutes later, dried her hair and with her towel wrapped tightly around her, went into her room to change.

Hermione stood at the closet for ten minutes in nothing but her underclothing. She tilted her head to the side, not knowing what to wear. She didn't know why it even mattered, she didn't have anyone to impress anymore. She pulled out a pair of dark, over-washed jeans and yellow tank top. She pulled on a blue jacket that was two sizes to big, and left the room.

Hermione made her way down to the Great Hall, her hands in her pockets. Harry and Ginny were already there. She sat down next to Ginny, smiling.

"Where's Ron?" she asked.

"Sleeping. I tried to wake him up but he just growled at me…" Harry said with a laugh.

Hermione grinned. She looked around the hall subconsciously. The smile faded. He wasn't there. She fought back tears, looking at her knees. Ginny squeezed her hand, giving her a sympathetic smile.

"I'm fine. Really," she lied.

"Yeah," Harry said, rubbing her back. She leaned into his shoulder and closed her eyes.

"It's not fair," she breathed.

"I know…I know," he said, putting his arm around her. Harry looked at Ginny, concern in his eyes. She smiled back at him. 'She'll be okay,' she mouthed. 'She always is.'

---

"We're going down to visit Hagrid, Hermione. You want to come?" Ginny said, as Harry walked towards the doors. Ron had finally come down to breakfast, and now was standing behind Harry, waiting for Ginny.

"No. I'm not really in the mood. Send him my best though, I think I'm just going to go —"

"Go where?"

"I'm going to go — visit Draco," Hermione said quietly.

Ginny looked only mildly surprised. "Okay then. Well, you know where to find us."

"Yeah…see you," she turned, and began to walk away.

"See you…"

---

"Where did she go Gin?" Harry asked, grabbing Ginny's hand and pulling her into an embrace. Ron rolled his eyes.

"Get over it Ron. Besides. You should be happy it's Harry, and not some other guy," Ginny said, throwing her arms around Harry's neck, as he spun her around. She giggled.

"Yeah, yeah. Get a room," Ron said, making a false gagging noise.

"Sorry mate. But I mean…come on. Have you ever looked at your sister?" Harry said with a grin.

"Okay! Waay too much information. Thanks for the nightmares Harry!"

Harry and Ginny laughed, and after a moment so did Ron. Harry leaned forward and placed his lips on Ginny's, smiling into the kiss. "You didn't answer my question."

"Hmm?" Ginny opened her eyes, but didn't break the contact.

"Where did Hermione go? Why didn't she come with us?"

"Oh, well. Um, about that. She went to the Hospital Wing," Ginny said, pulling away from Harry slowly. Ron, who was walking a few paces ahead of them, turned around.

"Is she alright?" he asked seriously.

"She's fine, don't worry. She just wanted to go up there. Didn't say why."

"Oh…okay. Well, I don't want to leave her alone for too long, so lets go see Hagrid and get back up to school quickly please," Ron said.

"Yeah, we're coming."

---

Hermione stared at the ground as she made her way up to the Hospital Wing. She was barely paying attention to where she was going. The only thing she felt was an immense emptiness inside of her, and hadn't budged for days now. She missed Blaise; it was as simple as that. She had no idea why he made her feel this way, and even worse, she could never feel that way again.

The sadness only intensified as the doors to the Hospital Wing loomed into sight. Hermione held her breath as she pushed open the doors, her eyes falling on the sleeping boy in the corner.

"Ah, Miss Granger. Here to see Mr. Malfoy I presume?" Madam Pomfrey said, coming out of her office. Hermione nodded bluntly. "Alright, well. No noise then. I'm going to the headmaster's office for a moment. I'll be back shortly."

She walked over to where Draco lay, the white sheets tucked around him neatly. He looked so peaceful. The cut on his forehead hadn't healed much, and the one on his neck was as red as ever. She sat down in the visiting chair next to his bed and stared at her hands. A tear dropped onto her skirt.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, tears falling. "I'm so sorry, Draco." She sat there, crying, for a few minutes before looking up. She slowly reached her hand forward and clutched his, giving it a gentle squeeze. For a moment, she thought his breathing stopped, but figured she imagined it. She moved her hand and placed it on his cheek, pushing his blonde hair off his forehead softly. She wiped her eyes with her other hand, and began to pull her hand off his face when suddenly his hand shot up and grabbed her wrist.

Hermione screamed and toppled backwards, yanking Draco out of the bed with her. She fell onto the ground and he fell on top of her. Hermione breathed heavily as she opened her eyes and looked up. Draco's eyes were open and he was looking at her with extreme confusion. A smile spread to Hermione's lips as she sat up abruptly, knocking him off of her. She threw her arms around his neck.

"You're alive!" she said happily.

"Ow, ow, ow! Hermione! Let go!" he said breathlessly.

"Oh, sorry!" she released him, the smile still planted firmly on her face."It's just…you're alive!" she breathed.

"Of course I'm alive," Draco said, standing up and pulling Hermione up as well. He lifted his hand to rub his neck, and then stopped. Hermione's smile faded. "What the?" he whispered. His fingers brushed against the scar on his neck. His eyed widened as his memory came back to him. "You're alright?" he asked gently.

"I'm fine. You've been here for almost three weeks, unconscious," Hermione said, sitting down on the hospital bed as Draco did the same.

He stared blankly at the wall. "Where's Madam Pomfrey?" he swallowed.

"She went to see Dumbledore. She'll be back soon…" Hermione looked at him. He was still staring at the wall. She noticed how his blonde hair fell gently over his eyes. And his eyes…they were magnificent. They sparkled in the sunlight that was pouring onto him so perfectly at the moment. Hermione felt her heart flutter. "Draco?" she whispered.

He looked at her. He felt his heart stop for a moment. Her brown curls were pulled back in a loose ponytail, but strands had fallen out because of the fall. The sun made her seem to glow. Her brown eyes looked at him tentatively. "Hmm?" he made out.

She looked at him for a moment. She leaned forward and gently put her arms around him, her fingers momentarily brushing his scar. "Thank you," she muttered.

Draco lifted his hand and cupped the side of her face in their embrace. She let go of him, her hands falling lightly into her lap. His hand moved to cradle his jaw and chin and pulled her face forward tenderly. He leaned in, their faces about three inches apart.

"Mr. Malfoy!" came a voice from behind them. Draco dropped his hand, and Hermione looked away, embarrassed. Madam Pomfrey came around to the bed, wiping her hands on her apron. "You're awake! How delightful! Here, drink this!" she said, handing him a spoon that appeared out of nowhere.

Draco gulped down the medicine, making a disgusted face in the process. Hermione laughed softly. Draco glared at her and she quieted.

---

"Miss Granger?" Madam Pomfrey said an hour later. Hermione had been allowed to stay with Draco since he had woken up. They had been talking about Quidditch the moment before. Both Hermione and Draco were surprised to find out how much they had in common.

"Yes Madam Pomfrey?" she said, looking up.

"I think you should escort yourself, and Mr. Malfoy back to the head dorms now. I'd prefer it if he stayed with some one responsible for now. I daresay he'd like to leave the Hospital Wing, and he's been here long enough. Just make sure he drinks this every hour, on the hour, until it finishes," the nurse said, handing Hermione a large bottle of dark liquid.

"That is never going to finish!" Draco said in exasperation as they left the hospital wing five minutes later. He was still in his hospital gown and was trying to hide behind Hermione as they walked down the hall. He failed miserably however, seeing as he was a good deal taller than her, and also a great deal more built; so instead of hiding, he just ended up looking like an idiot.

They reached the head dorms within ten minutes and Hermione collapsed on the couch. Draco couldn't help but think how beautiful she looked, simply sitting there. Hermione shivered slightly and wrapped her robes around herself tightly. She yawned softly and closed her eyes.

"I'm going to go take a shower…" he muttered.

"Mmm? Oh, okay. I think I'm just going to go take a nap. You can have Bl–the other room when you're done," Hermione said, opening her eyes and standing up.

"Thanks," Draco muttered, running his hand through his hair. He made his way up the stairs and into the bathroom. As he turned on the shower, he couldn't help noticing how Hermione had not said Blaise's name. He wondered why his absence was bothering her so much. Blaise didn't really have any true friends. Draco was one of only a few rare acquaintances for the other boy, and didn't really consider himself a friend. There must be something more to it, he thought. The idea, however, of Blaise and Hermione being 'involved' made Draco's blood boil for some reason, and it had nothing to do with the fact that he had stepped into the scalding hot water.

As the water poured over him, Draco closed his eyes and remembered the events of that night.

He saw Hermione move her wand. The room went dark again. Draco twitched. It was as if every bone in his body was on fire. He wasn't sure what kind of spell Blaise had put on him, but it was more than just the Cruciatus Curse. He fell to the ground hard, blacking out momentarily. He shook his head and opened his eyes. Blaise had hold Hermione's wrist and she was crying. He wanted to get up, he wanted to help her, but he couldn't move. He saw Hermione swipe her wand underneath Blaise's arm, and some of the pain lifted off him. Hermione was up against the wall. Draco strained to stand, but then froze. He saw her lips touch his, and then she flew to the ground. Draco lifted his wand and muttered some bogus spell under his breath. Blaise turned to glare at him as the spell hit his back but it was no good. Draco fell back to the ground. He caught a last glimpse of Hermione, who was unconscious, and Blaise, who strangely, was falling to the ground, his eyes turning back to blue. The room stopped shaking. Draco stayed conscious for only a moment longer, only to see Blaise hit the floor.

Draco stepped out of the shower, scenes still running through his mind. He wrapped a towel around his waist, flicking his wand to dry his hair. It hung loosely around his face. His mind was consumed with that night. But his thoughts were interrupted by a soft knock on the door.

"Draco?" came Hermione's voice. He looked away from his reflection and at the door.

"Yes?" he cleared his throat.

"You have to take your medicine now," was the reply.

"Oh, um…okay. One second," he said, throwing on the sweatpants that Hermione had apparently magicked into the bathroom for him. "Come in."

Hermione entered the bathroom holding the bottle in one hand and a spoon in the other. She was reading the bottle, a strand of her hair falling gracefully into her face. She looked up and realized Draco was shirtless. A pale blush crept onto her face and Draco smiled at her. She smiled back, looking determinedly back at the bottle. She put the spoon on the edge of the sink, and uncapped the medicine bottle.

"It says you need two spoons of this stuff," she said tiredly, pouring the first spoon. She made to hand it to him, but Draco stopped her.

"I've never been good at taking medicine. It's usually fed to me by a nurse or my mother. I can't take it myself…" he said sheepishly, looking away. He was embarrassed. Hermione looked at him and laughed. "You're laughing at me," he said, turning red.

"No…no, I'm not!" she said, her body shaking with silent laughter.

"Yes you are!" he said, looking at her.

Hermione laughed again. "Okay…I am…" she giggled.

"Oh! Oh really? Let's see who's laughing at who now!" he said, grabbing her around the stomach. She dropped the spoon out of shock. "Are you, by any chance, ticklish Miss Granger?"

Hermione's eyes widened. "No! No, I'm not!" she lied.

"I thought as much," Draco said, swinging Hermione over his shoulder. He carried her into her room and gently tossed her onto her bed. Hermione glared at him.

"You wouldn't dare!" she attempted.

"Oh, I would!" Draco said, placing his hand on her side. Hermione shrieked with laughter and protest as he tickled her. She squirmed under his touch, trying to wriggle away, but Draco held firm. Hermione twisted awkwardly under Draco, causing his to lose his balance next to her and fall…on top of her. He stopped tickling her, allowing Hermione to catch her breath. Their eyes locked. Draco propped himself up on his elbows, letting Hermione have some room underneath him. He moved his hand to cradle her neck, never letting go of her gaze. He leaned forward and let his lips graze hers. Hermione felt shivers go up her spine. Draco pulled away before it became a kiss.

"I'm sorry–" he began, but stopped suddenly when Hermione lifted her head and placed her lips on his. Her lips moved against his, every emotion possible flooding their bodies. Draco was stunned by her forwardness, but liked it at the same time. He snaked his hands around her neck and held onto her, deepening the kiss. Hermione felt his tongue touch her lip and she opened her mouth, granting him entrance. It was passion unlike any other. Draco felt Hermione's hand go around his neck, pulling him even closer to her. Suddenly, not breaking the kiss, Hermione sat up, making Draco sit too. She placed her legs over his, so her front was pressed completely against his. She felt his bulge grow, pressed against her womanhood, and shivers went up and down her spine. She felt Draco's hand on her back, tantalizingly grazing her skin. Suddenly, Hermione felt a rush of cold air hit her lips and was about to open her eyes when she felt his lips tracing her jaw, moving to the base of her neck. She arched her neck to the side, giving him more room. She felt him grown into her neck, making her shudder. She had no idea she could affect him so much. Hermione felt Draco's hands move to her stomach, slowly tracing circles upwards until they reached her covered breasts. He traced the lining of her bra before moving down and tugging at the bottom of her shirt. Hermione lifted her hands, breaking the kiss for only a moment, to allow him to remove her blouse. Draco pushed her back down to a lying position, pressing himself onto her firmly. He broke the kiss for a single moment. Hermione suddenly came out of her daze as she felt Draco's hand go around to unhinge her bra.

"Wait," she breathed against his mouth. "Draco, wait."

Draco moved his hand and looked at her, confused.

"What's wrong? Did I hurt you?" he asked quietly.

"No! No, not at all," she said, sitting up.

He looked at her. "Then what is it?"

"I…cant," she whispered. "I'm not ready…It's too soon."

Draco looked bewildered. "I–It's okay," he said finally. "I understand. I don't want to rush you…" But then realization hit. "Too soon?" he asked suddenly.

Hermione determinedly looked up at him. She untangled herself from him and found her shirt, and put it on. She got off the bed and headed towards the door.

"Hermione. What do you mean, too soon? Were you with someone?" Draco asked, following her. Hermione turned around, tears in her eyes.

"Yes…" she breathed.

"Who–" and then it dawned on him. Blaise. "You were with him?" he asked, his eyes filling with anger, sadness and loss.

Hermione breathed in, a tear sliding down her cheek. She nodded, but barely.

"Before or after I kissed you in the dungeons?" he asked, a moment later.

Hermione couldn't bring herself to look at him. "After."

"Oh…" Draco felt an unbearable hurt fill his stomach and he didn't know why. This was Granger he was talking about. But something had changed in him several weeks ago, on that night. When he tried to protect her, and when she fought for him, something had changed. He felt something different towards her; all his hate for her was gone. And yet, all he felt now was hurt.

"I'm sorry Draco. I wanted it. I just –– I shouldn't have started what I wouldn't finish," she muttered.

"Don't –– Don't be sorry. I get it, okay? I get it. I don't want to be the rebound guy, or the other guy. I take it you're still with him?" he said, looking away.

"No, not anymore, I don't think…" he looked back at her. "I haven't seen him since…you know. And he hasn't tried to contact me at all. I think he's gone. And I don't think he's coming back. But I just can't do this right now. Part of me still has hope, and I can't ignore it how much I try."

"What does the other part want?" he said quietly.

"I'm not sure. I think it partially wants you…maybe. I don't know," she murmured.

Hope flooded Draco's mind. "Oh. Okay. Well, when you know…if its me, I'm here, I guess."

Hermione looked at him and smiled. "Thanks."

---

Draco spent three nights in the Head Dorms. It was a bonding period, if anything for him and Hermione; a chance for them to get to know each other better. Draco was still not well enough to attend classes, but he would sit the dorms and keep busy until Hermione returned. And then they would talk about anything and everything. They came to realize they weren't as different from each other as they believed to be. They became friends.

After four days cooped up in the rooms, Draco decided that he wanted to leave, and go down to dinner. Hermione protested somewhat, but finally gave in. They made their way down to the Great Hall at dinnertime. Before they entered, Hermione gave Draco a reassuring smile. She had warned him that rumors had spread about the night, almost a month ago, and people would look at him strangely. It had been a great deal amount of time since anyone, besides Hermione, Harry, Ron, and Ginny (who were finally getting along with him, not friends, but getting along, since Hermione had told them how he tried to save her) had seen him conscious and people were beginning to wonder if he was alive. Hermione entered the hall first, and made her way to the Gryffindor table. Draco entered moments later, and all conversation fell to a hush for a moment or two. Everyone stared at the Slytherin boy as he made his way to the table and slid into a seat in between Crabbe and Goyle. The boys looked at him for a moment, before patting him on the back and continuing their meal. Everyone else followed suit. Hermione sighed in relief and began to eat too.

The rest of the evening was uneventful at best. The students left the Great Hall an hour later, and made their way back to their common rooms. Hermione met up with Draco outside the Hall, to many peoples surprise, and began talking as they made their way up to Head Dorms. As they came closer to the dorms, Draco stopped.

"What is it?" Hermione asked, turning around.

"I have to return this book to the library today. Madam Pince gave me another week because I was out of it…but it was due today. I'll be back!" he said, taking off in the other direction.

"O–kay…" Hermione called after him. She looked back at the portrait hole, said the password and entered. She yawned, and suddenly, tripped over the last stair, causing her bag to fall of her arm. She knelt down and hurried to pick up her stuff. She looked at her bag groggily as she jammed her quill back into place and then looked up. The bag slid off her arm again and hit the floor with a thud. But Hermione didn't notice.

"Blaise?"

LillyFan78: thanks! I hope you like this one!